Posts

Kenya Safari Logistics Overview- February 2025

Image
 In February 2025, the Nelson Lilly's set out on our next big adventure- an African Safari! This trip was very different from our previous adventures in that we would be less active (more driving, less walking and biking), would use drivers and a (wonderful, local to Kenya, female owned) travel agency rather than DIY and would be a new continent for all but me (I've been lucky enough to go to Ghana, Egypt, Morocco and Mauritania the past). However the love for and immersion in nature would be the same as would be our sense of adventure and go with the flow spirit! I felt very grateful to stumble upon Excel Getaways travel through a Facebook group I'm a member of called Mama Docs Travel. It is a small, Kenyan female owned (Nancy is great!) agency that specializes in Kenya travel. Because it's small there aren't a ton of online reviews- but the families I talked to had an amazing time so I felt comfortable. Because it's locally owned, it's much cheaper than A...

Maasai Mara Reserve, Tipilikwani Camp, Kenya 2025

Image
  Safari Day 7 Transfer to Tipilikwani Camp Maasai Mara Reserve This was a rough travel day. Not sure why exactly. I was expecting to cut the travel time by flying instead of driving but it felt like a full travel day and when we arrived at our new camp at 3:30 we had lunch and RESTED. Despite the exhaustion and mild air sickness the flight into the Maasai Mara was beautiful! We were the 4th stop which means we landed and took off from 3 other airstrips and got to the enjoy landscape and the animals from the air. Highlights were the incredible lush green grasslands, elephants winding through the land in herds and singles and a zebra that ran in front of the plane across the runway (!). We skipped the PM game drive in favor of resting and that was totally the right call We all loved warthogs Overall our Mara experience was slightly less grand than in Samburu. Perhaps the novelty had worn off, or maybe it was that the vehicle was a bit more challenging with open sides so we had to ke...

Ol Pejeta Conservancy, Serena Sweetwaters Resort, Kenya

Image
Day 4 transfer to Serena Sweetwaters camp in Ol Pejeta After Samburu, we drove about 2.5 hours to the Ol Pejeta conservancy for our next safari camp. The drive was great. The highway was in incredible shape- nothing like the descriptions of rural Kenyan roads I was prepared for. We drove through rural areas, villages with huts, a couple larger towns. So many new sights for the kids and Adam. Ol Pejeta has a very different feel than Samburu National park. There are so many more animals! Huge diverse herds made up of everything- elephants with zebra with rhino with buffalo with antelope - all together in large numbers- so so cool.   Mailing postcards! The equator And the landscape is different- reminded me of Yellowstone with broad grasslands with mountains in the background. I didn’t take many pictures of the sweeping landscapes and large herds - pictures don’t do these scenes justice. Great view, but I'd rather be outside:) The camp itself is great with a huge watering hole with al...